


Valentine's Day

by R4D104C71V3



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-06-13
Packaged: 2018-01-13 14:02:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1229113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/R4D104C71V3/pseuds/R4D104C71V3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dirk/Jake. While Jake English is listening to the radio, he hears of a contest to have a Valentine's Day date with Dirk Strider. To his surprise, Jake wins the contest and gets to spend the day on a date with Dirk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Valentine’s Day**

It was an early January morning, a rather cold one at that. I was driving to work by myself, and as usual, I was drinking some coffee and listening to the radio. They were playing one of Dirk Strider’s songs, and I was quietly singing along. I really enjoyed listening to his music, in fact; he's the only singer I really listen to. Anything else I could care less for. Soon enough, the song ended which faded until the DJ spoke up again.

"Well we just finished listening to a song by Dirk Strider, always makes songs that'll make all the girls swoon. Speaking of Di-Stri, there's a contest that's now starting for you wonderful people to join in." I sat up a little straighter, and perked up, listening to what he had to say. "This contest is to spend an entire day on a date with Dirk Strider on Valentine's Day. So if you want to have a chance to win and have Dirk Strider himself be your Valentine, then you better get your phone out to text saying "Be my Valentine" to 61872. Again "Be my Valentine" to 61872."

"Hmm, sounds interesting. Maybe I should try for it." I said out loud to myself, and took my phone out. I typed in the number, and frowned. "Should I try? Hmm, it wouldn't hurt to try. Besides, what are the odds for me actually winning?" I chuckled, and proceeded to write out the message, before sending it.

A few minutes later, I got a message, asking for a few details about myself. Once I finished writing it, I read it over again.

 _Name: Jake English  
_ _Age: 23_  
Likes: Chocolate, reading, baking, travelling, archaeology  
Dislikes: Peanuts, country music  
What I want for Valentine's Day: A simple letter is okay. As long as it has meaning and time has been put into writing it.

I wasn't sure how to feel about my answers, they seemed...uninteresting. I sighed, and sent the message anyway, before putting my phone away.

It's been nearly a month since the contest started. Today's February 12th, and the DJ would soon they're going to announce the winner. I knew there was pretty much no chance that I won, but I was still interested in hearing who did win.

"Okay, folks, it has been one month since this contest started, and you've all been eager to hear the winner of this contest. And I'll be announcing the winner now." I leaned in my chair, causing the chair to be tilted back. I sighed, stirred my coffee before taking a sip. "And the winner for the Valentine's Day contest is..." I took a few more sips of my coffee as I waited for him to announce the winner. "The winner who gets to spend Valentine's Day with Dirk Strider will be Jake English!"

"Jake En-" I yelped from surprise, accidentally spilling my coffee into my lap. I jumped, my eyes wide as I stared at the wall in shock, unsure whether I should react in pain or excitement.

————-

Two days later, it was Valentine's Day. I was at the store, walking around as I tried to figure out what I should get for Dirk. I've been looking around in the same area for quite a while, but I still had no clue what to get for him. I sighed, picking up a teddy bear. "Admittedly, this is rather cute, but I doubt he'd want a teddy bear." I placed the teddy bear back down onto the shelf and continued to look around.

A few minutes later, someone tapped my shoulder, and quietly said "Excuse me."

I turned around to face them. He was considerably taller than me; he had strikingly orange eyes, blond hair, and a bright grin on his face. He was actually quite attractive. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir," he chuckled, and nervously ran a few fingers through his hair, "I just, uh...I wanted to give you these!" He held a box of chocolates and rose out to me.

"O-oh, why thank you." I could feel my face warm up as I received the items. "That's rather sweet," I smelled the rose, "these are nice." I looked up at him, and smiled.

He looked down at the ground shyly, and ran his skinny fingers through his hair again. "I...I'm glad you like them!" He smiled to himself, and shuffled his feet a little. "Well, I have to get going, so bye!" He exclaimed cheerily, waving to me, and gave me one more grin before running off.

I could feel my face warm up more, not expecting a stranger to suddenly give me Valentine's Day gifts. I couldn't help myself from smiling as I looked at the rose and the chocolates. "I wish I could've gotten to know him, he seemed sweet."

————-

Not too long after, I was waiting in line to check out. I decided I was going to give him a rose and a box of chocolates. I hummed quietly, tapping my feet on the floor happily. Suddenly, my phone started ringing in my pocket. I took it out, slightly confused, because nobody ever called me.

_Unknown caller_

I frowned, read through the unfamiliar number once again before answering the call in a shy voice. "H-hello."

"Yo. Can I speak to Jake English?"

I cleared my throat nervously, and nodded a little. "Yes, speaking."

"Oh," they said quietly, "well this is Dirk. I called you to ask where we should meet for our date today."

I looked around nervously, suddenly feeling embarrassed, my face started to feel warm. I placed one of my hands on my cheek, feeling the blush that was obvious on my face. "W-well, maybe we can go to a restaurant?"

"A restaurant sounds great. Any place in particular you want to go to?"

"No. I-if you have a place in mind, then we can go there!" I replied nervously.

"Great, well we can meet in the park, downtown. You know, by the fountain?"

"Yeah, I know what you're talking about." I took out my wallet, taking out some of the money to pay for the items, and handed the money to the cashier.

"Sweet, so I'll meet you in front of the fountain?"

I let out a laugh, and looked down. "Hey, Strider, before you go, I think it might be helpful if I knew what time I'd be meeting you." I smiled and waved at the cashier before taking the bag and walking off.

"O-oh, right. Is it okay if we meet in an hour and a half?" He asked a bit bashfully.

I couldn't help but smile, and let out a quiet laugh. "That sounds great, I'll see you soon."

"All right, bye, Jake. I'll meet you there." Dirk said, before hanging up.

————-

Once again, I wandered around the fountain, to see if Dirk was here yet. I felt rather awkward standing in the park by myself, while I was surrounded by numerous couples. But despite the awkwardness of being by myself at the moment, I was really excited to be going on a date with Dirk Strider. I was still in disbelief that I was going with him, and the fact was still sinking in. I spun around a few times, grinning to myself until I accidentally bumped into someone. I looked up at them in complete shock and embarrassment.

I stared up at him, my eyes widened in complete shock. He had blond hair, vibrant orange eyes, a slight smirk on his face and a fedora. And for some reason, I couldn't help but think that he looked familiar...

"Jake English, you have left quite the first impression." He pointed out the obvious with a chuckle, and helped me stand up straight. "In your entry, you never mentioned you were so clumsy."

"Dirk...?" I asked quietly, glancing at him bashfully, giving him a small smile.

A small smile tugged at his lips, and he replied with, "This is him, the one and only. I'm your Valentine, and quite happy, because you're rather adorable." Dirk leant down, gently grasped my fingers and kissed the back of my hand.

"You're quite the gentleman." I told him in a soft voice, feeling a blush start to form on my cheeks, a light fluttery sensation could be felt in my stomach, and my heart started to pound a little in my chest. When he had kissed my hand, I had felt some sort of spark, which I found a little odd.

Dirk stood up straight again, and slipped his hand into mine. "So, you ready to go for some lunch, Jake?"

I jumped slightly when my hand was suddenly being held, looking up at him, surprised. "Oh, yeah, we can get going." I grinned up at him, and followed him as he started walking.

 **A/N** This is a belated Valentine's story, I really hope people like it so far. I'll be working on the second chapter from now on, and wish to have it up soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Dirk was leading the way as we walked to the restaurant. He was still holding my hand as we walked; swinging our hands a little, every once in a while he’d squeeze my hand gently. I looked at him once again, and smiled a little. He was dressed rather well for the day, wearing a white button up shirt, a formal vest and a tie. Dirk glanced at me, gave me a small smile before he spoke. “I hope you like the restaurant I chose. In fact, we’re almost there, just straight and to the right.”

I bit my lip nervously, unsure how I should respond to him. I glanced around myself, down at my shoes. I’ve been so bashful and nervous around him now; I couldn’t do or say anything. “I’m sure it will be splendid.” I said in a soft voice, glancing up ahead. We continued to walk in silence, until we arrived in front of the restaurant.

Dirk slid his hand out mine gently, stepping forward, and swung the door open for me. I gave a curt nod to him, and entered the restaurant, with Dirk following behind me. “Oh my, this place is a little fancy isn’t it?” I looked around, finding myself in complete shock. “I would have been fine with a small café.” I added.

The host saw us, starting to stride over to us, giving us a smile as he greeted us cheerily. “Hello, and good afternoon, you two. My name is Nathan, I’m the host. Has one of you made a reservation to be here today?”

“Yes, we have a reservation, but it’s under my brother’s name.” Dirk responded.

Nathan gestured us over to the front desk, starting to type on the computer. “Now then, what would your brother’s name be?”

“His name is Dave Strider.” The host, Nathan, looked up at Dirk, raising an eyebrow. “What? That’s his name; I think I’d know my own brother’s name.” Nathan shrugged, continuing to type on the computer.

“My apologies, sir, but you don’t have reservations for today. In fact, your reservations aren’t for another month.”

I looked up at Dirk, finding that he looked furious. “ _Excuse me_? Did you just say we don’t have reservations? My brother _promised_ me that he made reservations for today.”

Nathan’s eyes widened and he raised his arms in defense. “I’m sorry, sir, but there’s nothi-“

I frantically took hold of Dirk’s hands, and smiled to Nathan. “I am so sorry for the trouble, Nathan. It’s truly all right about the reservations, we will be fine without it, and we’ll be around next month.”

Dirk let out a long sigh, nodding. “Okay, I’m sorry, Nathan, we’ll leave now. Sorry for the trouble.”

“All right, well I hope you too have a good day.” Nathan smiled once again, waving us goodbye. We turn around to leave, and Dirk looked to me. “Sorry about that, Jake…” He sighed and rubbed his eyes, looking frustrated.

I patted his shoulder, hoping maybe it give him a sense of relief. “It’s quite alright, Dirk. We can always go somewhere else more fun, right?” I smiled to him and kissed his cheek. “Besides, I bet it wasn’t even your fault.

“You’re probably right; I bet he did this on purpose…”

I grinned, starting to jump excitedly, “We should have a picnic then, and a picnic sounds great!”

“All right, sure. We can have picnic! What do you say about going to my place to prepare for our little picnic, hmm?” Dirk took hold of my hand once again, smiling down at me. “And while you’re cooking, maybe I can make you some sweets.” Dirk said, placing his other hand on my waist.

I looked down at the ground, shuffling my feet, hoping that he wasn’t able to see the blush and the sheepish smile. “Wonderful, now, we should get going now in order to get ready for our date today.”

After that, Dirk had called up a cab to bring us to his place. Our cab driver didn’t recognize him, which he was old, so I figured he wasn’t into the new, so he kept to him. Our trip was rather long, so Dirk and I made small talk, giggling amongst ourselves. I looked out the window to see green fields full of gold crops, all behind fences. “So, you live out in the country?” I questioned, feeling a grin spread across my face.

“Hmm, yeah,” Dirk answered softly, “before my parents moved out, they lived out here. Now they live together in Maine.” I looked over at him, finding that he was staring out the other window. He leaned on his arm, seeming wistful as he smiled. “So I live out here by myself. It’s pretty nice, I have to admit that.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did they move?”

Dirk’s eyes widened for a second, then immediately turned his head away to face away from me. “Um…well that’s actually a sensitive subject, Jake.” He mumbled, shifting in his seat uncomfortably, letting out a sigh.

“O-oh. Well I’m sorry for asking, Dirk. If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked…”

“It’s fine, Jake, really.” He returned back to staring out the window, slouching into the cab’s seat. Minutes passed by, and we all sat in the cab in complete silence until Dirk tapped on the window. “Hey, Jake, that’s my place right up there!” Dirk exclaimed, hopping a little in his seat, obviously excited.

I leaned over to look out the other window, seeing a pretty decent sized home, with a big yard up front, white fence surrounding it. He turned to me quickly, his eyes wide and bright, a big grin on his face. He was so childish at times; it was hard to believe that he was 23. “You’re house is really nice, is this where you grew up?”

“Yes, my brother and I both grew up here. Great childhood, I loved every second of it.”

“Sounds like you grew up well and happy.” I commented quietly. Suddenly, the cab came to a quick stop, which made me hit my forehead against the window. “Ouch.” I muttered to myself, sitting up straight as I rubbed my forehead.

"Sorry about that." The cab driver apologized, looking back at us. "But hey, this is your stop, so you guys can get out now."

As soon as he stopped talking, Dirk and I unbuckled, stepping out of the car. Dirk walked over to the driver, taking out his wallet. “Oh yeah, by the way, thanks for driving us here, it means a lot to me.” I watched as he took a wad of money from his wallet and handed it to the cab driver. “Here, just keep the change.” He said, and waved a little. "Have a great day, sir." The cab driver nodded to him and smiled before he drove off.

————-

Nearly two hours later, Dirk and I were just about done getting ready for our little picnic, and I had just gotten everything into the basket. I placed Dirk's chocolates and the rose in as well, but I placed it on the top. I smiled to myself closing the basket, picking it off the table. We were almost ready! All we needed now was the picnic blanket, and we could head outside. I looked over at Dirk, folding a blanket. I smiled a little, walking back into the kitchen, waiting next to the back door.

Dirk walked in, looking around, brightening up when he saw me. "Hey, Jake, you ready, or do you need anything else before we head out?" He looked over at me, and I just shook my head no. "Really? All right then, well let's go out." He placed his hand on the doorknob, turning it to open the door. He stepped in front of the door, holding it for me.

I smiled and nodded to him, quietly telling him thank you as I walked out. He just hummed in response, closing the door behind him. "So I was thinking of having our picnic right back here, if you didn't mind that is. I know it isn't much back here, but if you want I can drive us somewhere else." He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around.

I looked around my surroundings, smiling a little to myself. To my left, there was a small flower garden, and trees every where, green grass all around us. "Actually, right here is great! It's really nice back here." I commented. "No need to worry, it's great."

"Really? That's good! I'm glad you like it." He walked over to a small patch of grass. "We can set up right here and have our lunch." I set down the basket, helping him unfold the blanket as well as spreading the blanket down on the ground.

"That's such a big blanket, oh my gosh." I started laughing, and plopped myself down on the right side, placing the blanket in front of me.

"Heh, sorry, but it was the first one I found." He walked over to the other side of the blanket, sitting himself down. I felt myself start to blush, not expecting him to sit so close to me. Even then, he moved himself closer until his hand was touching mine. "Now, if you'd excuse me." He reached over, picking up the basket one-handedly, and placed it back down in front of us.

"What do you want to have first? There's some sandwiches, fruit, or, uh..." My voice faded out when Dirk gently took hold of my hand. He smiled shyly to me, before looking off to the side. "Your hands are so warm..." I   
said softly, running my thumb across his hand. I leaned in closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder.

Dirk suddenly jumped forward, causing me to jump from surprise. "Is that chocolate? I love chocolate!!" He exclaimed excitedly, reaching in the basket, taking the box of chocolates out.

"Really? I'm glad I got you it then." I took my hand away from his, starting to take the food out from the picnic basket.

"Thanks, Jake. It was really sweet of you to get me these." He placed the box of chocolates down, now looking at the rose with a small smile gracing his face.

I placed my chin on my hand, looking over at him, feeling elated that I had gotten the day to spend with him. All day I've been feeling absolutely happy, all because of Dirk. I glanced to his lips, causing me to bite my own. Gosh, I really wanted to kiss him...

"I'm actually rather surprised I didn't get anything from you, Dirk. I mean, I'm in no position to be complaining, because this date so far is terrific. I just-"

"Jake," Dirk interrupted, "I've... I've already given you your gifts today." He looked at me sheepishly. I cocked my head to the side, evidently confused by what he was trying to communicate to me. "Earlier today, when you were at the store, I was there too. I was the one who, uh..."

My eyes widened when I realized what he meant, and started to blush once again. "Y-you were the tall blond? You bought me those gifts?" I questioned with disbelief. He only nodded, and looked away, his cheeks pink from embarrassment. "That's why you looked so familiar! And you know what? That was the _cutest_ thing that has ever happened to me, and I loved how you were so shy!"

"I..." he giggled to himself, "well, I... hehe..."

I squealed quietly, simply not able to contain the fact about how _adorable_ he was acting. I moved myself closer to him, and placed my hand on his waist, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "You are simply too cute." I commented, kissing his other cheek.

Dirk's face was now red, and was obviously too shy to speak or even look at me. After a few seconds, he softly said, "Hey, after we're done eating lunch, is it all right if I bring you somewhere?"

"Of course! Where are you going to bring me?"

"Well, that's a surprise, so," he chuckled, "I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to wait until we get there." I playfully pouted, but agreed to go along with his plans anyway. We started to eat our lunch, all the while chatting to each other.

**A/N:** I am so sorry for posting later than intended. I'll start writing the next chapter as soon as possible, just hope people lid this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

About a half hour into our picnic, Dirk and I were nearly finished with our food, with only the sweets left in the basket. Dirk turned to me, reaching his arms out for a hug, looking over to me, seeming a little hesitant. I reassured him with a gentle smile as I leaned over to hug him. Nuzzling into his neck, I felt a strong feeling of safety. After a few seconds, the two of us naturally pulled away, looking each other straight in the eye. The way Dirk appeared, and the way he was acting, clearly showed he was happy, which made me feel absolutely elated. Without really thinking, I pulled him into another hug, mumbling into his neck, "You give really nice hugs."

"Really?" He asked softly, looking down at me with his bright orange eyes, and a soft, comforting expression.

"Yes, truly." The warmth of his chest made me smile uncontrollably, which I couldn't tell if he was the one radiating the heat, or if it was from the sunlight. Either way it made me pull him closer, making me want to hold him longer, just to feel his warmth. I didn't really care if he hugged back or not, just as long I could be near him, although I was happy he returned the embrace. I felt my cheeks feel hot, which I swore they were a deep red, the reason why I found myself embarrassed was because I had just realized I was practically cuddling into Dirk.

Dirk's fingers started threading through my hair, and he chuckled. "You normally this cuddly?" He asked with a teasing tone, which I noticed, causing me to feel absolutely embarrassed.

"No," I answered simply, "not usually." I pulled myself away from him a little, just enough so I could look at his face. He gave me a soft smile as soon as our eyes met, and he took a gentle hold of my hands, tugging at them eagerly towards him. “Huh,” I asked, clearly confused of what he wanted, “what is it, Dirk?”

“Come on, Jake!” He answered as he stood up from his spot on the blanket, and walked himself onto the grass, picking up the picnic basket. “I wanted to bring you somewhere, remember?”

“Oh.” I laughed nervously, and mentally cursed myself to not forget things so easily next time, especially if it was about the date I was on with Dirk right now… I couldn’t help it though, just seeing his smile warmed me up inside, and made me feel that fluttering sensation in my stomach once again. While I had been cuddling up to him, I hadn’t realized how cold I felt from the slight breeze that would pass by. “Right, I’m just a little forgetful sometimes.” I admitted, not wanting to tell all of my thoughts, because gosh, that’d just get me to blush on the spot.

“All ready to go now?” Dirk asked, once I had finished folding up the blanket, and held it in my arms, looking up at him.

“Yeah, of course I am. But I do have one question for you.”

He looked over at me, seeming to be in a state of confusion, “Yeah, and what would that be?” Dirk started to lead the both of us away from his backyard, and to the front house, and to his car.

“Where exactly will we be going?” I asked, catching up to Dirk as he made his way to his car, and looked up at him. “I am very curious why you would be keeping it a secret from your date, especially since today _is_ Valentine’s Day.” I giggled, and opened the passenger side door, placing the blanket in the back seats.

Dirk paused what he was doing for a second, looking up at the sky as he thought for a few seconds, and he chuckled. “Nope, not telling you.”

“What?” I drawled out the word childishly, starting to pout as well. I had really wanted to know where we would be going to finish our date! I had been wondering the whole time we were eating our lunch, and now he wouldn’t even tell me. “Why won’t you tell me? I really want to know! Come on, please, Dirk? Please?”

He only laughed at my small attempt to try to get him to admit it, and shook his head as he sat in the driver’s seat, starting the car. “Jake, you can wait at least 15 more minutes. There’s a reason I told you it’s a secret, because I want it to be a surprise for you. That’s all I’m asking, just that you wait.”

I slumped into my seat, crossing my arms across my chest, the pout once again returning to my face. “All right, fine, I’ll wait.” I gave in, although unhappily. Just the fact that he was keeping a secret, only increased my curiosity, but obviously, I wasn’t going to get an answer out him. I buckled myself into my seat, and looked over at him. “I’m ready to go.”

“Fantastic!” Dirk grinned cheerfully, and pulled the car out of the driveway.

* * *

“Dirk, I am terribly sorry to interrupt what you are doing, but where exactly are we going?” I asked when I felt the car come to a sudden stop, and he took the keys out. “Where are we?” I repeat, turning to the left a little, and reaching out my arms aimlessly, unable to see with the blindfold covering my eyes. He had told me that he honestly wanted this to be a surprise, although he had some doubt in his voice. I wonder why.

“Jake, once that little blindfold is off your pretty little face, and then you can see where we are.” Dirk told me as soon as the door for my side opened. He reached over my lap, unbuckling the seat belt, and carefully helped me outside of the car. “All right, you have to trust me, English. I’ll lead you slowly, and carefully, and I will absolutely, positively make sure you don’t bump into anybody.” He stopped talking for a few seconds to take ahold of my hands, gently squeezing them.

I tilted my head up a little in his general direction as he spoke, nodding along as he spoke just to assure him that I was paying attention. As he was speaking though, I had a feeling that he was slowly leaning towards me, and that thought was confirmed by the time he was done speaking. I could feel the warm breaths he let out on my skin, and our lips felt like they were just millimeters apart. With him so close to me, I couldn’t help the blood rushing to my face, because I was completely embarrassed, which caused me to look down at the ground, shuffling my feet.

Dirk must have leaned down a little, because I felt soft lips press against the corner of my mouth, and a quiet giggle, as if he was embarrassed. Before I could even react to what had just happened, I felt him pull back from me. “So then, Jake, when you were little, did you ever have a stuffed animal?” Dirk asked, as he started to lead me away from the car carefully. I followed him slowly and cautiously, taking small steps, while trying to get used to the fact that I was walking without seeing. It was too strange.

“Hmm, actually, no.” I said aloud, concentrating on my steps, making sure to keep walking, even though I really wanted to stop and just cling to Dirk. “The closest thing I had to a stuffed animal was my mother’s childhood teddy bear.”

“Hmm, is that so?” Dirk asked as he let go of my hands, and heard footsteps until they were behind me.

I nodded, reaching my hands behind myself, wanting reassurance that Dirk was still here. I relaxed once I felt his jacket, and tugged it a little toward myself, laughing. “When I was little, I had always wanted one myself, because my mother’s was very adorable, although I never got one.” I could feel Dirk’s hands reach to the front of my face, which confused me slightly. “At some point I think it would be jolly to buy one for myself!”

“Well, Jake English, how would you feel about making your own teddy bear with me?” Dirk asked softly, sliding the blindfold from my eyes, so I could finally see once again. I looked in front of myself, to see a sign that said Build-A-Bear Workshop and I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands in complete shock.

“Dirk… I…” I was in complete surprise, turning around to stare back at him. He only laughed a little, and looked down at the ground sheepishly. “Dirk, oh my gosh, you’re so thoughtful!” I exclaimed, pulling him into a sudden hug, holding him close to me, as I giggled with pure joy. Dirk wrapped his arms around my torso, returning the embrace gently, laughing softly.

“Well come on, let’s go make you a teddy bear!” Dirk yelled out excitedly, pulling away from our hug, and immediately took hold of my left hand. “I just knew you’d love to come here! I knew you would!” He was obviously proud of himself for making the choice to take me here, because he had an ear to ear grin on his face. He seemed so cute when he was excited.

And with that, a worker walked over to us, and gave the both of us a smile. “Good afternoon, gentlemen, and welcome to Build-A-Bear Workshop! My name is Gwen, and I will be helping you to make your very own lovable furry friend! Do you two have any animal in particular that you would like to start with?”

Dirk looked over to me, giving me a small nudge, a sign that I should respond to her. “O-oh, right,” I stuttered out, and I gave her a smile. “I would like to get a teddy bear today.” I answered back cheerfully, giving Dirk’s hand a gentle squeeze, which he returned back only seconds later.

Gwen gestured us to follow her, as she lead us to the selection of teddy bears they had. “And here is our selection of teddy bears you can choose from, sir. You can take as much time as you need to choose which bear you would like, and you can meet me over at the Stuff Me department when you’re ready.” She gave us another warm smile, and walked over to the stuffing machine, and stood there, waiting patiently.

It took me a few minutes to choose from the different kinds of teddy bears they had, until I finally chose the one that I just found endearing, and brought it over to Gwen, handing the bear to her carefully. She took the bear from my hands, and started to stuff the teddy bear thoroughly. As she was doing so, Dirk hugged me from behind, his arms wrapped around me, hands over my stomach, his head resting on my shoulder. He started to sway back and forth a little, seeming playful as he chuckled. It was very nice to be in Dirk’s arms as we waited, and just overall, very comforting.

After Gwen had finished stuffing my teddy bear, she handed me it. I felt a little saddened when Dirk pulled away from the embrace, but I couldn’t have expected him to stay there forever. As soon as Gwen had handed me my teddy bear, she showed us over to the Stitch Me department, where I pulled the last seam of my teddy bear, so that the openings would close. After that had been done, we were brought over to the Fluff Me department, and I let Dirk fluff up the teddy bear, because he seemed like he really wanted to.

“Dirk,” I started slowly, while he was fluffing up my teddy bear, he glanced over at me as if saying to continue, “What exactly got you into singing when you were younger?”

He stood up from his knees, and fluffed up the bear one last time, before handing it to me. “I, uh…actually, Jake.” After hearing my question, he seemed to suddenly get embarrassed, and looked down at the floor. “I started out as one of those artists who are barely even known, and then…I was noticed. I got popular with teenage girls everywhere, even if all my songs were silly.”

I smiled, and hugged the bear close to me, feeling giggly all over. It was so soft and fluffy. “Even if you think your songs were cheesy and silly, I’m sure a lot of girls loved hearing your songs. Or even,” I laughed nervously, “a young boy who every time heard your voice, couldn’t help but squeal.” That was enough to make Dirk smile, and he started to blush slightly. “You were a complete heartthrob, Dirk, and you still are now.”

“No, really, Jake. How did you, listen to those songs, they’re just so…embarrassing. I can’t believe I wrote those sometimes.” He laughs softly, shaking his head.

“Dirk, those songs were pretty much the reason why I fell in love with you.” I watched as his eyes widened, and he looked down at the floor, his feet shuffling, with a small smile lighting up his face. I was starting to feel a little shy myself, because I never thought I’d be sharing this with anyone, especially with Dirk. “And the fact that you’re so sweet is just the greatest, because you’re my childhood crush, and knowing you’re still that lovely guy you were so many years ago is kind of heartwarming.”

After that, Dirk and I wandered around the store, hand in hand as we looked at the cute little clothes they had for the stuffed animals. They were quite cute to look at, but I didn’t think I’d be getting any for my teddy bear. After a while, I could hear someone humming a familiar tune, which I couldn’t help but wonder what the song was. Once the humming stop, I could hear a soft singing voice next to me, and I looked over at Dirk, completely surprised. I recognized the song immediately, it was one of Dirk’s songs from when he was first starting out, a song about him describing the beautiful person he fell in love with.

I covered my face with my hands as I could feel myself start to blush, and the soft fluttering sensation filling my stomach. _Dirk Strider is singing to me right now, oh my gosh, it’s Dirk, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh._ Dirk gently took my hands away from my face, giving a soft smile when he saw my face. He continued to sing to me quietly, placing his hands on my waist, pulling me closer to him.

When he had finished singing, I was pretty darn sure my face was cherry red, because he laughed quietly, and pulled me into an embrace. He kissed the top of my head, and rubbed my back soothingly. “Come on, Jake; let’s go pay for your teddy bear.” He spoke softly, and led me over to the front to pay for my teddy bear.

When Dirk had handed the money to Gwen, he excused himself quickly, and said he’d be back as soon as possible. I nodded, and waited to receive my teddy bear back from Gwen. I got it back in one of the small toy houses for the stuffed animal, and I waited just outside of the Build-A-Bear Workshop for Dirk to return.

“Jake, over here!” I heard him call out, and I turned my head to see him running over to me, hiding one of his hands behind his back. “Jake, I got one more thing for you before our date is over.” He exclaimed, grinning proudly once again. He moved his arm from behind his back, revealing that he had a single rose in his hand, and he held it out to me. “One red rose for my adorable Valentine to show how much I love you.”

I covered my mouth with my hand, looking up at Dirk. _Is he saying that he loves me?_ I felt tears start to form in my eyes, and I laughed a little, taking the rose gently from him. I placed the teddy bear house down, got up on my tiptoes, and threw my arms around his neck, kissing him gently. Dirk was evidently surprised at first, because he squeaked, but he returned the kiss, smiling a little.

I pulled away from him after a few seconds smiling like an idiot, giggling as well. I got back on my feet, and looked up at Dirk, whose face was bright pink. “Okay, Dirk, I better get going now, this date was wonderful, thank you, and I loved it.” I picked up the teddy bear house again, starting to walk away from Dirk slowly. Before I could though, Dirk leaned down a little, kissing me once again.

“All right, Jake. I’m glad you had a great day. I loved being with you.” He grinned happily, and waved goodbye to me. “I’d love to see you again sometime, Jake.” He told me quietly, looking at me hopefully. I nodded and smiled to him. “Really? Great!” He exclaimed happily, and pulled me into a tight hug before he waved goodbye again, and he turned around walking off into the crowd. Once he disappeared, I shifted my attention to the rose.

“Huh, what’s this?” I took a small piece of paper out that was next to the rose, and turned it over. I read it what the note said, feeling myself get shy again. In neat handwriting, said:

_Jake,_

_If you ever want to go on another date, you can call me. I’d absolutely love to be with you again._

And in the corner of the piece of paper, a number was scribbled down, and I smiled. I was excited that there was a chance that Dirk and I could go on another date. And possibly even start dating each other.

**AN:** I am so sorry it took so long to finish up this last chapter, but I am really proud of how it turned out! I really hope you enjoyed reading this silly little story of mine~ I loved writing it, and the reviews are always, always appreciated~ Thank you for reading!


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